To authorize the Agency for International Development to offer voluntary separation incentive payments to employees of that agency.
Public Law 104-190 · H.R. 3870 · 104th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Aug 20, 1996 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-NY-20)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Directs the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID), before obligating any resources for voluntary separation incentive payments, to submit to specified congressional committees a strategic plan outlining the intended use of such payments and a proposed organizational chart for the agency once they have been completed. Authorizes lump sum payments of up to $25,000 each to no more than 100 AID employees to the extent necessary to eliminate the positions and functions identified by the strategic plan.
Requires AID to deposit in the Treasury to the credit of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund an amount equal to 15 percent of the final basic pay of each employee to whom a voluntary separation incentive payment is paid.
Requires repayment of any voluntary separation incentive payment by an individual who accepts any subsequent employment with the Government within five years after the date of separation.
Mandates a reduction in total full-time equivalent positions of AID by one for each employee receiving a voluntary separation incentive payment.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Oversight and Accountability Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Civil Service and Agency Organization Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Aug 20, 1996Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 104-190.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 9, 1996PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 2, 1996FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 29, 1996FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Bereuter moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Civil Service and Agency Organization Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Jul 24, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Foreign Affairs Committee
- Jul 23, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Foreign Affairs Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.